Multiple level lighting systems, such as two or more level lighting systems, are used in various different lighting applications. For example, two level lighting systems are commonly used in overhead lighting. Such lighting systems can be used to conserve energy since they allow a portion of the lighting to be turned off when full light is not necessary. The lighting systems may be used to operate a variety of lamps, such as but not limited to gas discharge lamps, light emitting diode (LED) lamps, and other types of lamps.
A typical implementation of a two level lighting system includes two power switches and two power converters, wherein each power switch in the lighting system controls only one of the power converters in the lighting system. Turning on both of the switches at the same time powers both power converters, thus producing full light output from the lighting system. Turning on only one of the switches applies power to only one of the power converters in the lighting system and thus results in a reduced light level and a corresponding reduction in power consumed.